Sprinkler system



Aug. 19, 1930. A. J. LOEPSINGER 1,773,272

SPRINKLER SYSTEM Filed April 22, 1927 ATTORNEYS Patented Aug. 19, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ALB E R'I J. L OEPSINGER, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR T0 GENERAL FIRE EXTIN'GUISHER COMPANY, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE SPRINKLER SYSTEM Application filed April 22,

This invention relates to improvements in sprinkler systems. More especially the invention has to do with providing a dry pipe system which may ordinarily contain only air at atmospheric pressure.

The invention is particularly applicable as an extension of an automatic wet pipe system into a location which is exposed to freezing temperatures, as for example where sprinklers are want-ed over a shipping platform, or near. the glass exposure of a root. The expense of installing and maintainmg the usual dry pipe system for the few such sprinklers needed may be considered proh bitive, and in consequence, in present practice, the pipes leading to sprlnklers in such locati'ons are drained, and left out off from the water supply until some person goes to the proper place and by hand connects them after a fire has been discovered. It has ndeed been proposed to have a device which s sensitive to abnormal rate-of-riseof temperature arranged to .trip certain delicate mechanism or to open the supplyconnectlon by electricity thermostatically controlled. But auxiliarysystems which depend upon response by a human being, or uppndelicate mechanism or electricity, are lacking inthat certainty of operation which is desired in fire protective apparatus. a K a It is an object of the present invention to provide sturdy and veryinexpensive means which is completely automatic, 1n case of fire, to fill the dry sprinkler pipes mak ng them ready for discharge upon the opening of any sprinkler therein. However the invention is not-limited to this particular use. The patent is: intended to cover by suitableexpression inthe appended claims whatever features of patentable novelty exist inthe 1nvent-ion disclosed.

In the illustrated embodiment of the mvention the water filled pipe of an ordinary wet pipe system is separated from the exposed dry pipe, from whlch thewater is to *be restiai'ned until needed, by a valve held closed by the water pressure. As shown herein this valve is of the differential type, although it is not necessarily so, with its smaller clapper closing the wet pipe and 1ts mterme- 1927. Serial No. 185,836.

the said restricted by-passage. The vent is opened by an actuator, which in the present instance comprises a flexible diaphragm, which receives a'puil of pressure initiated. by

the fire thatis to be extinguished. The diaphragm is thus flexed by pressure so as to cause a weight to topple and fall, and through associated mechanism to open the vent. The opening of the vent relieves the closing pressure on the large clapper and thus enables the water pressing the small clapper to throw thevalve open and to fill the dry pipe leading to the exposed sprinkler heads.

The operating pressure for the actuator is generated, in the particular instance here described, by the heating of a highlyvolatile liquid in any one of a number of frangible bulbs in fire detectors distributed about the region served by the dry pipes. The liquid chosen should have a boiling point much lower than the temperature at which the bulb is desi ned to burst, so that upon the burst- ;ing of thebulb there is a substantial pressure impulse which can be conveyed as a wave through a small pipe to the actuator diaphragm.

The wave impulse is produced by placing the bulb in a small container located in any place where it is desired to detect the presence of a fire, this detector having a discharge opening into the small transmitting pipe leading to the actuator. The detector is so designed that the application of heat abovela predetermined temperature higher than normal, which however'is preferably lower than the temperature required for the opening of sprinklers, will generate the pressure and then release it by the bursting of the bulb with such suddenness and such intensity that the wave impulse cannot be lost or effectively latter reduced by any ordinary leakage in the pipmg or by dissipation through distribution auxiliary lines which may connect a number of containers with the actuator diaphragm.

As the system stays empty until wanted, there is not the expense which has hitherto attended dry pipe s stems for installation of machinery to intro uce air into them under pressure, nor the expense for constantly observing and maintaining this pressure to restore losses by leakage; but when once set ready for action the system requires no malntenance and it remains ready for an indefinite eriod. The system is wholl automatlc, an has been found to be nota ly reliable. h

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation partly in section of portions of a sprinkler system embodFying the invention;

igure 2 is an elevation in medial section, on larger scale, of a detector and its enclosed bulb; and

Fig?! 3 is an elevation in section on line 3 of Figure 2.

Referring to the drawings, the pipe 10 represents a wet pipe sprinkler system or oter source of supply in which water under pressure stands ready as for sprinkler discharge. The pipes 12 represent dry distributing ipes for extension of such a system to sprink ers 14 in locations exposed to freezing temperatures or wherefor other reasons it may be desired to have .no water in the pipes until the need of sprinkler discharge arises.

Between the pipe 10 and the pipes 12 15 a waive 16, here shown aseof the diiierential type having small and largeclappers 18, 20, and 'an intermediate chamber 22 between them with its outletiipen to the pipe 12. The d the intermediate chamber contain only air at atmospheric pressure, there being 1 the usutil ball drip 24ftorelieve any leakage of water est-the clapper-s.

The in et 26 to the valve 16 is connected to the pipe 10 so that the water, under pressure,.acts directly on the smaller clapper 18 acts "also upon thelarger clapper 20 but less directly because its access thereto is only bg'virtue of a by-passage 28, leading around 1: e cham berBOof which the lar' er clapper 20 -constitutes one wall, so that; ecause of'the "difierehtia'l of areas of cla pers this water pressure in chamber 30 maintains the valve "closed. A restriction in the by-passage is made -by a barrier with a small orifice 32, which is large enough to maintain a substantially equal intensity of pressure on both clappers during slowfluctuations of system are, but which is'considerably smaller than a vent 34 from chamber 30 controlled by anfactuator 36. Consequently when this vent 'is opened the pressureinchamber 30 is releasedand cannot be reestablished by flow of intermediate chamber and to the valve water through the orifice 32; The closing force of the water on clapper 20 immediately becomes less than the opening force of water exerted on clapper 18; the valve is thrown open; and water flows into the distributing pipes 12.

The actuator 36 has a chamber 37 within which is a lever 38, pivoted at 39 which carries at one end the vent valve 40 and at the other end is engaged by lever 42 having one end heavily weighted. \Vhen this weight is set with the center of gravity above and slightly to the right of its pivot, as shown in the drawings, a short arm 43 thereof rests on the adjacent end of the lever 38 and holds the valve 40 closed. The upper end of the weighted lever is then poised in the path of a plunger rod 44 which extends through a suitable spider guide 46 against a flexible diaphragm 48 that constitutes a partition between the main chamber 37 of the actuator and a small chamber 35. To this latter chamber a small sized pipe line 50 extends from the region protected by the sprinklers 14 where it has at selected locations a series of 51 in each of which is secured Trouplings for the attachment of a deteca nipple 52 tor 54. v

The detector 54 is a thin-Walled tubular container constituting a sort of removable cartridge closed at both ends, one of which has a removable cap 53 and having at any convenient place a cylindrical outlet 55 which fits tightly within the nipple 52 and contains a screen 56; A frangible bulb 60, housed in the container, is filled with a liquid having a very low boiling point, as for example, ethyl chloride which boils, at 54 F. These bulbs with their contained liquid may be so made that they will withstand the expansive tendency of the ethyl chloride vapor therein, but still be fractured by the expansive force of the liquid when 'apredetermined temperature is reached, say at 125 F. By the time this temperature is reached the pressure within will have become so great that the boiling point of the liquid corresponding to that pressure ishigher than 125,and the contents will be liquid, but the liquid is at a temperature so far above its atmos heric boiling point that when pressure is su denly reduced to atmospheric by fracture of the bulb a large part of the liquid instantly flashes into vapor, shattering the bulb; and

the remainder of the liquid at once becomes vaporized upon contact with the container which also is at about F. At this temperature ethyl chloride has a vapor pressure of about 25 pounds per square inch and consequently its sudden vaporization generates a considerable pressure impulse which is conducted by pipes 50 to the chamber 35 where it flexes the diaphragm 48 inward thereby pushingthe rod 44 against the poised weight of lever 42. The center of gravity of the I so latter is thrown over its pivot, and as it falls the levers short arm 41 knocks upward the lever 38 which unseats the valve 40 and opens the vent 34 thereby releasing the closing pressure on large clapper 20 practically instantaneously, Water being incompressible, and beyond the power of restoration by water from the main supply. In consequence, the water pressing on small clapper 18 opens the valve 16 and then rushes on through the distributing pipes 12 to the sprinkler heads 14, which may be of the open or closed type as preferred.

To reset the system, a-main shut ofl valve (not shown) below in pipe 10 is first closed to cut off the water supply. The particular cartridge 54 which has functioned is removed, with the fragments of the broken bulb which have been retained in it by the screen 56, thereby venting the pipes 50 of any remaining gas pressure; and valve 61 is opened to drain the pipes 12. The chamber 37 will have been drained by the open waste pipe 62, which ordinarily maintains atmospheric pressure in chamber 37 and which if preferred may be equipped with a ball drip valve of ordinary type as shown at 24. The broken bulb having been replaced by a new one the cartridge is returned to its place on the pipe 50; the diaphragm 48 is reset by rod 44 drain 61is closed; and then the clappers of valve 16 having been reseated water is turned on in pipe 10 slowly enough so that it can flow through the restriction 32 to the chamber 30 of the large clapper without lifting the clappers 18, 20. A suitably slow flow for the filling can be maintained by seeing that very little escapes through the ball drain 24. WVhen flow begins to occur through valve 34 and drain 62, the weighted lever 42 and valve 34 are repositioned as shown in the drawings and the main shut off valve opened wide. The system is now ready for operation and requires no further attention or maintenance.

Although particularly shown and described in its application to a portion of a wet pipe system, the principle of the invention is not so limited for it can be incorporated in any dry pipe system. This may have utility when it is desirable to have a low pressure such as atmosphere (or even avacuum) in the distributing pipes. In such a case an auxiliary system, as herein disclosed, could be utilized for the sudden generation of a relatively large pressure and its rapid transmission to the dry pipe valve for opening the latter, the valve 16 and its associated control parts as illustrated herein being then called the dry pipe valve.

It will be understood that for the detector the invention is not limited to the particular explosive device shown, for responding to the rise of temperature occasioned by a fire. And other variations may be made from the precise structure herein illustrated.

I claim:

l. Thermo-responsive actuating means comprising apparatus operable by a change of pressure a conduit leading to said apparatus for transmitting a pressure impulse thereto; and pressure generating means connected to said conduit having a frangible container holding a charge of fluid which upon being heated to a predetermined degree ruptures said container and causes a pressure impulse to travel along said conduit and effect operation of said apparatus.

2. Means for generating and transmitting a pressure impulse comprising a conduit; a cartridge having an outlet connected with said conduit; and a frangible container in said cartridge charged with a volatile liquid which upon being heated to a predetermined degree, shatters said container and generates in said cartridge a pressure which passes as an impulse through said outlet and thence along said conduit.

3. Means for generating and transmitting a pressure impulse comprising a conduit; a a

cartridge having an outlet connected with said conduit and a screen across said outlet; a frangible container housed in said cartridge and charged with a volatile liquid which upon being heated to a predetermined degree shatters said container and causes a pressure impulse to pass through said outlet and alon said conduit; the said screen preventing the fragments of said container entering said conduit, and there being a removable'cover on said cartridge to permit removal therefrom of said fragments and the insertion of a new container. V

Signed at Boston, Massachusetts, this twentieth day of April, 1927.

ALBERT J. LOEPSINGER. 

